Roadway Safety Foundation, Federal Highway Administration Honor Innovative, Lifesaving Safety Programs
States, Local Governments and Private Sector Organizations from Across the Country to Receive Awards
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Roadway Safety Foundation (RSF) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) today recognized nine exemplary highway projects and programs from across the country as winners of the biennial National Roadway Safety Awards. Recipients of awards included State and local departments of transportation (DOT), a State department of public safety, a local technical assistance program and a private firm. The award winners are credited for reducing fatalities and injuries on our Nation’s roadways through excellence and innovation in operations, planning, and design.
“It is a privilege to formally recognize the localities and agencies that were selected for the 2011 National Roadway Safety Awards,” said John Porcari, Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation. “Each one of this year’s entries demonstrated a commitment to saving lives by improving our nation’s roadways.”
“The lifesaving projects honored here today are noteworthy because deficiencies in the roadway environment contribute to roughly one-third of traffic deaths,” said Greg Cohen, Executive Director of the Roadway Safety Foundation. “The best and brightest safety professionals who plan, engineer, and implement innovative solutions rarely get public recognition or the opportunity to know whose lives they have saved. These awards are an opportunity to thank those who increase our odds of getting home safely each day.”
Each of the National Roadway Safety Award recipients was evaluated on innovation, effectiveness, and efficient use of resources. Project categories included infrastructure improvements; operational improvements; and program planning, development, and evaluation.
This year’s honorees include
- Minnesota DOT’s Micro Surfacing to Reduce Wet Weather Crash Rates Program
- Mississippi DOT’s Cable Median Barrier Safety Initiative
- Jones/Linn County (Iowa) Portland Cement Concrete Pavement Overlay With Safety EdgeSM
- Florida DOT’s Making Roadways Safer for Motorcycles Program
- Utah DOT’s Evaluation of Moveable Barriers in Construction Work Zones Program
- Travelers Marketing’s Safety Patrol Sponsor-Partnership (Maryland, Florida, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Georgia, New York and Kansas)
- California DOT’s Highway Safety Improvement Program Application and Evaluation Tool for Local Roadways
- New Mexico Department of Public Safety’s Smart Roadside Inspection Program
- Minnesota DOT’s County Roads Safety Plans Program/Wright County’s (Minnesota) Roadway Safety Program (joint award).
There were two honorable mentions –
- Texas DOT’s FM-1960 Median Improvements Program
- New Jersey Local Technical Assistance Program’s Work Zone Safety Education Program.
The Federal Highway Administration and the Roadway Safety Foundation present these biennial awards to agencies and organization across the country who exhibit excellence in roadway design, operations, planning and safety.
For complete details on each of the winners, and for more information on the national awards program,
visit http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/roadwaysafetyawards.